Sullivan County Schools & Education
Sullivan County, Tennessee
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
55/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
94.4%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
94.4%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 93.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,522
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,215
School Score
55/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 47/100
State Score Position
#32
of 95 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Sullivan County
Measured School Summary
Sullivan County performs at an average level with a school score of 55/100 and a solid graduation rate of 94.4%.
Funding Context
At $6,522 per pupil, Sullivan County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 17% above the Tennessee average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 5% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Sullivan County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
37 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
55/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #32 of 95 Tennessee counties with school score data.
Completion
94.4%
1.1 pts above the state average
Funding context
$6,522
$307 above the state average
School coverage
37
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Sullivan County has 37 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Sullivan County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Sullivan County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#32
of 95 Tennessee counties with school score data. The county score is 8 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Sullivan County
Elementary to high school visible
8,380 students
17 listed schools in this county slice.
Kingsport
Elementary to high school visible
7,281 students
11 listed schools in this county slice.
Bristol
Elementary to high school visible
4,029 students
9 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Sullivan County is the largest listed district slice, with 17 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Sullivan County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Sullivan County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Sullivan County Education System Divided Among Three Independent Districts
Education data brief for Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Sullivan County is distinctive for its decentralized district structure, featuring three separate school districts: Sullivan County, Kingsport, and Bristol. This arrangement manages a total of 19,690 students across 37 schools. The largest individual school is Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, with an enrollment of 2,514 students, which is more than double the size of the next largest high schools in the county. The county maintains a graduation rate of 94.4%, slightly higher than the Tennessee average of 93.3% and above the national average of 87.0%. The composite school score is 55.0, surpassing the national median of 50.0. Per-pupil spending is recorded at $6,522, which is higher than the state average of $6,215 but remains roughly half of the national average. The school mix is diverse, including 19 city schools and 11 rural schools. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
37
in Sullivan County
Reported Enrollment
19,690
37 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
37 Public Schools in Sullivan County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 4 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 37 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dobyns - Bennett High School | Profile | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664City: Small | 9–12 | High | 2,514 |
| West Ridge High School | Profile | Sullivan County | Blountville, 37617Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,683 |
| Tennessee High School | Profile | Bristol | Bristol, 37620City: Small | 9–12 | High | 1,154 |
| Ross N. Robinson Middle School | Profile | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 955 |
| Bristol Tennessee Middle School | Record | Bristol | Bristol, 37620City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 883 |
| Sullivan East High School | Record | Sullivan County | Bluff City, 37618Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 849 |
| John Sevier Middle School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37660City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 750 |
| Sullivan Heights Middle School | Record | Sullivan County | Kingsport, 37664Suburb: Midsize | 6–9 | Middle | 692 |
| Holston Elementary | Record | Sullivan County | Blountville, 37617Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 635 |
| Sullivan Central Middle School | Record | Sullivan County | Blountville, 37617Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 590 |
| Bluff City Elementary | Record | Sullivan County | Bluff City, 37618Suburb: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 585 |
| Sullivan East Middle School | Record | Sullivan County | Bluff City, 37618Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 573 |
| Ketron Elementary School | Record | Sullivan County | Kingsport, 37660Suburb: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 563 |
| Andrew Johnson Elementary School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 543 |
| Andrew Jackson Elementary School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37660City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 496 |
| Thomas Jefferson Elementary School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 487 |
| John Adams Elementary School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 453 |
| Avoca Elementary | Record | Bristol | Bristol, 37620City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 423 |
| Rock Springs Elementary | Record | Sullivan County | Kingsport, 37664Suburb: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 415 |
| Abraham Lincoln Elementary School | Record | Kingsport | Kingsport, 37664City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 399 |
Dobyns - Bennett High School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37664 / City: Small
West Ridge High School
Sullivan County
Blountville, 37617 / Rural: Fringe
Tennessee High School
Bristol
Bristol, 37620 / City: Small
Ross N. Robinson Middle School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37664 / City: Small
Sullivan Heights Middle School
Sullivan County
Kingsport, 37664 / Suburb: Midsize
Sullivan Central Middle School
Sullivan County
Blountville, 37617 / Rural: Fringe
Bluff City Elementary
Sullivan County
Bluff City, 37618 / Suburb: Midsize
Sullivan East Middle School
Sullivan County
Bluff City, 37618 / Rural: Fringe
Ketron Elementary School
Sullivan County
Kingsport, 37660 / Suburb: Midsize
Andrew Johnson Elementary School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37664 / City: Small
Andrew Jackson Elementary School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37660 / City: Small
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37664 / City: Small
Rock Springs Elementary
Sullivan County
Kingsport, 37664 / Suburb: Midsize
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
Kingsport
Kingsport, 37664 / City: Small
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,522
State avg $6,215
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Sullivan County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in Sullivan County?
How much does Sullivan County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.